


and i feel your warmth (and it feels like home)

by amaltheaz



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: But mostly fluff, F/F, Masterchef AU AU, it's all just so much fluff, it's sad for some parts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8158975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaltheaz/pseuds/amaltheaz
Summary: "Welcome to the first week of Polis Masterchef 2016, where hundreds of hopeful home cooks have travelled from all over Polis to get the chance to become the next Polis Masterchef. We are approaching the third and final day of auditions where each home cook is given the opportunity to present a dish that would win over judges, Gary, Matt and George; a dish that would convince the judges to give them the coveted Masterchef apron. The judges have given out fourteen aprons in the last two days and there are ten more left. Who will be the lucky final ten?"aka the Masterchef au au nobody asked for





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I'm really doing this, lol. This is based on the Masterchef Australia format because that's the only one that I actually watch (apart from Junior Masterchef), which is why I have it tagged as "masterchef au au". IF there are anybody else who watches Masterchef AU, you will probably recognize some dishes/scenes from previous seasons. 
> 
> Anyway, don't own anybody or anything. Please don't sue me.

_Welcome to the thirteenth and final week of Polis Masterchef where we are now down to our final two: Clarke and Lexa. Last week we had to say a tearful goodbye to Lincoln when he failed Shannon’s pressure test and the core element to his dish was raw._

_Yesterday, Clarke and Lexa attended this year’s final Masterclass together wjfb Matt and George. The final round begins today but before we get into that, let’s have a look at the final two’s stories and where they came from._

_\---_

It was weird to watch themselves on screen when they had spent so much time close together in the last thirteen weeks. It was Clarke’s piece first and Lexa chuckled as she heard the blonde bemoan the faces she was making during the montage of her driving to work at Polis General Hospital, singing to the radio with the windows down and the wind blowing in her hair. She looked like she was glowing from the sun, ethereal, and she left Lexa breathless as she watched Clarke on screen, her blue eyes sparkling bright as she ran her fingers through her curly blonde hair.

The scene then moved on to Clarke walking down the hallways of the hospital, talking and laughing with nurses and other doctors. And it wasn’t difficult to miss the way she treated her patients, with so much respect and care. Clarke looked content and happy and it was the same look she had in the kitchen too. Like there was nowhere else that she wanted to be. Lexa felt that maybe it was the same look that Clarke gave her too.

As the montage of Clarke going through her everyday life continued, her voice eventually came through the screen. Lexa couldn’t contain her laugh when the blonde beside her groaned at her voiceover starting. She remembered the interviews they gave after they had been given their aprons, of the cameras following her around the week after as she went through her days, packing and getting ready to leave for the Masterchef house. Their questions had been innocuous, gentle in their prodding to get the stories that they wanted to go along with their footage. Lexa wondered if Clarke had been just as revealing as she had been in her interview, wondered if she would learn anything new about the blonde.

 _“I got into cooking because of my dad. He loved to fish and every Saturday, at the ass crack of dawn, he’d pile my mom and me into the car and we’d go to this place that he_ always _said was_ his _spot. He didn’t care that a bunch of people were always there, it was_ his _spot.”_ The Clarke on screen laughed lightly, though it wasn’t hard to miss the unshed tears in that laughter and Lexa’s heart sunk to her stomach at the way it fell short and faded sadly into the background.

 _“But the kitchen, that was definitely_ his _spot. He taught me everything that he knew and I learned to fall in love with food the way he did.”_

Lexa knew of the man, of Jake Griffin, of his exuberant personality and enthusiastic outlook to life. She and Clarke had spent many late nights, sharing secret whispers until the early light of the morning. She knew of the way the memory of him brought a special kind of fondness in Clarke’s smile when she talked about him. She knew that despite him having been gone for so long, Clarke still sometimes cried for him in her sleep, asking him to please stay and to never leave her again.

And Clarke, her _beautiful_ and _amazing_ Clarke, she was smiling so bravely even though tears were falling fast and visible down her flushed cheeks. She couldn’t hold herself back anymore and so Lexa reached out for Clarke beside her, took the blonde’s hand in hers. Lexa breathed in deeply as their palms met and breathed out when their fingers laced together. Clarke had offered no resistance, just as needy for the contact that Lexa was willing to give her. And Lexa was willing to give her _everything_.

 _“We lost him, about five years ago. And then my mom and I, we lost ourselves too, for awhile. I can’t even tell you the amount of crap I ate just so I didn't have to be in that kitchen. Just so I didn’t have to cook anything.”_ Pictures of Clarke and her dad took over the screen and the resemblance between father and daughter was almost unbearably uncanny. They even shared the same smile, beaming and unbidden, sought by those who knew and loved them well. There were pictures of Clarke with both her parents too and it was all so bittersweet for Lexa to see them all so happy together, to see Clarke as she was and knowing what she and her mom had been through. Having met and only known Clarke as she is now, the awe that Lexa felt naturally in the blonde’s presence increased in its intensity.

_“Y’know, he always said to me, ‘Clarke, the kitchen is the heart of every home; it’s the warmth in your chest and in your belly’.”_

Lexa smiled sadly at the words, recognizing them and remembering the numerous times that Clarke had said them to her and to the others in the Masterchef house. She could see it in the faces of the former contestants standing in the balcony, of their friends who all came back to support them in this finale. It was a sentiment that they all agreed on, a sentiment that had brought them all together as a group. The kitchen was the heart of their temporary home, but Clarke was the heart of their found family.

It was near to the end of the piece when they were shown a scene of Clarke at home with her mom, cooking and laughing together. Lexa couldn’t help but grin just a little wider at the sight, a relentless flutter in her chest at the sight of the blonde acting the way she was. She took in the warm smiles between the two women, of the kitchen where they stood and of the picture of Jake Griffin proudly wearing a goofy apron with his arms around his family. Lexa resolutely decided then that a happy Clarke was the best thing and the most important thing in the world to her. There was nothing else that mattered.

 _“I always told him that he should enter Polis Masterchef and he always just said to me,_ ‘next year, next year’ _. That’s why I’m here now, whatever happens in this competition, if I go home the first week or if I go all the way, it will all be for him.”_

\---

Thunderous applause roared through the room but Lexa didn’t pay them any attention as she took Clarke into her arms. She faintly registered somebody shouting in the distance that they had ten minutes before they began shooting again and so she tightened her embrace. Her eyes closed as she felt Clarke return the hug, nuzzling and sighing softly into her neck despite the sounds of the hustle and bustle around them.

She pulled back, just enough so she could cup Clarke’s beautiful face in her hands and press their foreheads gently together. Her thumbs brushed away the tears as Lexa stared into the blue eyes that she learned to love so truly and deeply in these last few weeks. She saw the storm that raged behind them, the sadness and the strength before they disappeared when Clarke closed her eyes.

It had been difficult listening to herself talk about her dad. It had been just as difficult just _talking_ about him then. But it also felt good, cathartic, and it made Clarke realize that remembering her dad with a smile was so much easier than it ever had been.

“Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?” Lexa whispered softly, watching with an impatiently beating heart as Clarke’s eyes fluttered open and a low husky chuckle left her lips.

“Only about a _trillion_ times.”

Lexa gave the blonde a mockingly skeptical look, shaking her head. “Now that is a gross exaggeration, Clarke. It couldn’t have been more than _at least_ a billion.”

“Oh I’m sorry, my bad.” Clarke rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose in that crazily adorable way that made Lexa want to kiss the blonde’s nose. And so she did.

They shared a light-hearted moment of laughter before Lexa’s hands fell to Clarke’s waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. The humor in her eyes fading into a heart-achingly tender gaze that sometimes took Clarke’s breath away. “I mean it every single time, Clarke,” she promised, running her fingers through curly blonde hair, sweeping them away from Clarke’s face to rest behind her ear.

Clarke wanted to kiss Lexa in these moments, when she was soft and sweet with her, when she looked at Clarke like she didn’t want to look at anything else, when she looked so _immeasurably_ happy just looking at her. There was a tingle in her lips that ached to be soothed by those irresistible full lips; lips she had spent hours, days, _weeks_ , daydreaming about. A look into Lexa’s piercing green eyes told Clarke that she was thinking about the same thing too, that she _wanted_ the same thing.

But time wasn’t their friend as they heard the shout for everybody to get back in their places in thirty seconds. Clarke sighed and wrapped her arms around Lexa and kissed her neck instead. “I know, babe,” she whispered quietly. The blonde took a deep breath and reminded herself that there was always later. They had talked about this the night before. Whatever happened here today, they would still find their way to each other, no matter what. “Are you ready for your piece?”

Lexa scoffed as she pulled away from the hug to take her spot. “God no,” she groaned, only smiling when Clarke rewarded her with a hearty laughter.

\---

 _Welcome back! We return now to Polis Masterchef where earlier we learned just a little bit more about one of our favourite chefs, Clarke. For the last few weeks, we have seen Clarke serve some amazing dishes. How could we forget the truly inspired whisky sour trifle with apricot, or the succulent duck confit with duck skin crumbs?_ Phenomenal _dishes that completely wowed the judges. But will Clarke continue to wow us and win the competition?_

_Let’s have a look now at our other favourite, Lexa!_

_Lexa was the one that gave us the amazing miso maple glazed chicken with potato purée, and who can ever forget that_ incredible _audition dish that won her an apron into the Masterchef competition in the first place? Nobody can say that she doesn’t deserve to be here. Will she be the next Polis Masterchef?_

\---

Clarke hip-checked Lexa, chuckling at the fiery blush in her fellow chef’s cheeks and the shy smile on her lovely face, still unused to having the spotlight on her, even after all this time. She almost couldn’t stand how devastatingly _pretty_ Lexa looked right now, with her hair all done up in a messy bun, her shirt buttoned-up and tucked in her dark jeans, and her apron tied neatly over and around her body. She wasn’t sure what the challenges were going to be later but she couldn’t wait until Lexa’s shirt came untucked, her face dusted with flour and her white apron stained with ingredients.

God, she couldn't wait.

\---

She stood impatiently as Lexa’s video began on screen. It started out just as hers had, with a montage of Lexa going through her daily routine. It really shouldn't have surprised her that it started with the brunette going on an early morning jog. Lexa was annoyingly notorious in the Masterchef house for being the very first in the gym, trying to get everybody else to join her too. The sun rising behind Lexa as she ran made such a breathtaking scene that it made Clarke’s fingers twitch, yearning for some paper and charcoal. She had already filled the sketch pads she brought with her to the house with so many drawings of Lexa. Clarke didn’t think she could ever have enough.

Clarke laughed at the playful wolf-whistles coming from their friends in the balcony at the revealing picture of Lexa in tight spandex and a sports bra. It was a regular sight in the house but they all still loved to tease each other anyway. She laughed harder at the glare that Lexa shot at them, inciting a boisterous roar from their friends that made Clarke just barely miss Lexa’s monologue.

 _“Would it be a cop-out if I said I started cooking for the aesthetic?”_ The blonde rolled her eyes and chuckled at Lexa’s words. She watched attentively as the Lexa on screen walked to Old Polis Book Shop where Clarke knew she worked part-time. It was a little surreal seeing Lexa at a distance like this, as if Clarke hadn’t spent nights learning her, breathing her in, and touching her. As if Clarke didn’t know what sleep tasted like on Lexa’s lips in the early morning, what she smelled like when sweat trickled down her body or what she sounded like in the midst of a whimper. Her heart fluttered wildly at the dreamy sight of Lexa’s crooked grin, aimed at customers and colleagues alike.

 _“No no sorry, I just- it’s not that I hate talking about it. It’s… Difficult, I guess.”_ The mood in the room immediately turned quiet, almost somber at the same time that Lexa’s voice sobered, fading into a deep, nervous sigh. Clarke reached out for Lexa, already knowing what they were going to hear. Her heart had lurched, _ached_ , in her chest when she was met with a clammy palm. “ _I started cooking after my girlfriend, Costia, and I went to a few classes. I was working in advertising, and I was always so busy with work, and so we decided to take the classes so we could spend more time together. But the thing is, you always think that you have a lot of time left, but then you find out, it’s not as long as you would have wanted.”_

Clarke had known of Costia just as Lexa had known about Jake. They had shared so much of their joy together in these past few weeks, it only seemed right that they knew of each other’s pain. Lexa had told her about how she and Costia had been high school sweethearts, how they had been together _forever_ , through college and through distance, they never strayed away from each other. Clarke knew about the ring that Lexa used to bring with her everywhere, wanting to make that moment perfect for Costia because it was what she deserved. That ring now sat in the bottom of the ocean where Lexa had thrown it in a fit of angry despair. She thought of the look in Lexa’s eyes when she told her about Costia. She wondered if it was the same look she had when she talked about her dad.

She was ready for the pictures of Costia’s face but Clarke didn’t think she could ever be ready for the way that Lexa stared at Costia in them. The jealousy she felt was irrational and unnecessary but she still felt it all the same. The way their bodies pressed so close together, leaving no space in between them. The way that Lexa cozily tucked her face into Costia’s neck and that content look on her face. And Clarke swallowed tearfully at the naked devotion in Lexa’s beautiful green eyes and she felt that pain in her chest for the woman that Lexa had lost. As she took in the picture of the couple laughing gleefully together on the screen, of Lexa looking young and vibrant with Costia, of the love that shone in their eyes, Clarke felt that despite the envy she had, she was still glad knowing that there was somebody else who loved Lexa the way she deserved.

As if she knew Clarke’s thoughts, the blonde felt Lexa’s hand squeeze around hers, a firm, reassuring squeeze. She timidly met Lexa’s stare and her breath caught at the intensity in the brunette’s green eyes. Lexa had always been an open book to her, so easy to read, even between the lines. Clarke didn’t need her words when all she needed was to look at Lexa and she knew all that she needed to know.

 _“I remember staring at this pasta maker that Costia bought for me. It’s this_ absolutely _gorgeous, dark blue vintage pasta maker, but I- I never actually used it. I was just staring at it for so long, and the next thing I knew, I was packing my things and booking a three-month long trip around Europe._ _I had some money saved up but I roughed it for the most part. The funny thing is I had actually never been out of Polis before that. I was born here, went to school here, I was always, just here. So it was good to get away for a little while.”_ A collage of different breathtaking landscapes took over the monitors around the room. Pictures of all the many places that Lexa had been to, all the different people that she had met. They watched the amount of pictures that had Lexa in them, increase towards what they assumed to be the end of her trip. Angry blood-shot eyes hardened with grief eventually softened, filled with the kind of peace that only came with acceptance.

“ _When I came back, I wasn’t really sure what to do. I got a part-time job but there was just something missing, you know? It was weird to think that I was more lost when I was home than when I was traveling. And one day while I was at work, I found out about the Polis Fifteen, this community youth program where troubled kids, teenagers mostly, come in to learn skills that could help them in the future.”_ Clarke greedily soaked in the moving images of young faces, all staring at Lexa like she had the answers to everything. She tried to put faces to the names that she knew, the names that made pride flash so bright in Lexa’s eyes that it left her breathless. She looked for Tris whom Lexa referred fondly to as her shadow, following her everywhere she went in the building. She looked for Charlotte who was restless with so much anger inside her but learned to find peace and calm decorating some of the most beautiful cakes that Lexa had ever seen. Clarke wasn’t ashamed to say that seeing Lexa being happily tackled down by a gaggle of kids, made her swoon. Because it did. It made her swoon big time.

_“My final words? I hope that I’ll meet some good people, and I hope to learn as much from them as I can. From the judges too. I’m ready for this adventure and I’m really looking forward to what I will gain from it.”_

The last image that appeared on the screen before it blacked out, was of Lexa and Aden, the brunette with a satisfied smile on her face as she pulled out a homemade pizza from the oven and her brother clapping happily at the sight of the delicious food. And right there, sitting proudly on the counter was an ocean-blue pasta maker.


	2. week one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> week one - auditions and the first meeting

_ Welcome to the first week of Polis Masterchef 2016, where hundreds of hopeful home cooks have travelled from all over Polis to get the chance to become the next Polis Masterchef. We are approaching the third and final day of auditions where each home cook is given the opportunity to present a dish that would win over judges, Gary, Matt and George; a dish that would convince the judges to give them the coveted Masterchef apron.  _

_ The judges have already given out fourteen aprons in the last two days and there are ten more left. Who will be the lucky final ten?  _

\---

Lexa was scheduled for her cook on the third day of auditions. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing considering that it meant a slimmer chance of her gaining an apron. She counted every single person that stood in the waiting room with their families, counted those that had come and gone, counted the few that already won an apron. She glanced around the room, sharing a sympathetic smile with another chef that met her gaze, briefly taking in the sparkling blue eyes before continuing to look around. 

There were five aprons left and she was pretty sure that there were still more people than that, hoping to get their chance to impress. She knew that her nerves were getting the best of her as she fidgeted with the sleeves of her shirt that she hoped to god she wasn't sweating through (she was just  _ really _ glad that she decided to wear black). She took a deep breath and thought of the ingredients that she brought with her, of each step that she would need to take to bring them all together for the dish that she was going to make for the judges. She thought of Costia and what she would say to her at this very moment. 

_ “Get your head out of your butt, dumbass.”  _

Lexa chuckled at the familiar voice in her head and she felt a pang of sadness that Costia wasn’t here with her, because Lexa knew she would be shit-talking her just so she didn’t have to think about her nerves. The feeling faded into the back of her mind when she looked beside her where Aden stood. Her younger brother took the week off work just to be with her and keep her company. He was all that she had left in the world and she was grateful that he didn't even hesitate when she mentioned this week to him. She gently elbowed his side, gaining his attention as it had been laser-focused on the hallway that led to where the judges were, just like hers had been earlier.

He cleared his throat, moving to stand closer to her. He could tell that she needed the comfort but didn’t want to ask directly, thinking that his being here at all was more than enough. And yet, he smiled to himself when she leaned subtly into him “It’s almost time for your turn. You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied, straightening her shoulders. The canvas bag filled with ingredients suddenly felt just a little bit heavier in her hands, the already warm room becoming just a little bit hotter. She tugged a little at her collar, swallowing thickly. 

Aden placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Though she hid it well to the rest of the world, he knew her better than that, knew her better than anybody. “You got this, Lex.”

She smiled shyly at his unwavering confidence. Aden had always been her biggest fan, her number one supporter. There was never a time when he didn’t have her back and she didn't have his. That was how it had always been between and nothing could ever change that. “But who’s going to cook for you if I do get in? You’ll stuff yourself with greasy pizza and even greasier donuts.”

“And that’s an awful thing, how?” 

She glared lightly at her brother’s cheeky expression and smacked his shoulder. “I would hope that after all the things I’ve cooked for you the past couple of years, your tastes would be a little bit more sophisticated.”

He shrugged, patting his flat stomach. “I’m still a growing boy.”

“That only worked when you were twelve.” 

“Just because I’m twelve years older now doesn’t make it any less true.”

“Yes it does. They say that once you reach a certain age, you start to shrink.”

He paused to give her a once-over before smirking playfully. “That explains so much about you then.”

Lexa rolled her eyes as he placed his arm over her shoulders. Aden had been slow to grow when he was younger but once he reached fifteen and much to her dismay, he shot right up and outgrew her by more than a few inches. She shoved him off her, rolling her eyes once again when he only laughed - practically cackling really - at her. “I’m only two years older than you. There is  _ no _ room for you to be smug about that.”

They looked back towards the hallway when they heard a distant cheering. Somebody else had won an apron. They both watched as the home chef that just came out hugged the person that came with them. She then got the nod from one of the assistant producers that it was time for her to step up to the cooking station. Lexa turned back to look at Aden and she placed her hand on his chest, comforted by the steady thumps of his heartbeat against her palm. Lexa peered up when Aden’s blue eyes was staring down into hers and she smiled gratefully. “Thanks for being here, little brother.”

There was nowhere else that Aden would rather be than by his sister’s side. She looked after him and he looked after her, that was the deal, no backsies. There was no way he was going to miss this important moment in her life. His light blue eyes softened and he gave her a fond smile, reaching up to gently squeeze the delicate hand on his chest. “Always, big sister.” 

\---

She had been walking around the room, trying to somehow release some of the restless energy after staying in the same spot for most of the day. She smiled apologetically when she bumped into people, clumsily weaving her way through the crowd. A majority of the people in the room were family and friends of those still waiting for their turn to cook. Clarke felt lucky that her mom had been able to join her on the day that she was cooking. Wells would have still been here to support her too if he hadn't been called back to work yesterday. 

Clarke was nervous but she was hopeful. The dish she was going to make was a hit with her friends and her family so she was fairly confident that she wouldn’t fuck up the cook. What she wasn’t exactly confident about was having world-class chefs tasting her food and what they would think of it. The last couple of days had been pretty amazing and interesting, what with all the hopeful chefs making their dishes. There were techniques that Clarke had never seen this up close before and it was so completely mind-blowing. She cheered and clapped along with the rest of the room whenever somebody came back from seeing the judges, proudly waving an apron in their hands. It made her incredibly happy to see people feel like they were so much closer to their dream.

She made her way through the room, closer to the cooking station. She saw that it was the brunette she had seen earlier, the one with the maddeningly pretty green eyes and incredibly defined jaw. They had shared a nervous smile earlier when the brunette was looking around and their eyes happened to meet. She wondered who the man that stood with her was. They seemed close but not intimately so. Once she got close, just barely a few feet away from the cooking station, a mouth-watering scent filled her nose. “Fuck, that smells  _ amazing _ . What  _ is _ that?” she blurted out before she could stop herself, walking closer to get an even better look at what the brunette chef was doing.

Lexa, to her credit, was barely startled by the blonde’s intrusion and only smiled proudly at her enthusiastic reaction. She immediately recognized the sparkling blue eyes that her own eyes had met earlier. “That, would be the prawn and paprika broth.” Her cheeks already flushed from the heat of the stove, blushed a deeper red when the blonde responded with a husky moan.

“Oh god, that sounds  _ incredible _ ,” Clarke gushed, watching the woman slowly stir the broth. She watched enraptured as the brunette grabbed a spoon to sample her broth and wishing she could have a taste herself. She grinned at the satisfied hum, knowing that the chef was happy with how her dish was coming along.

Lexa gave the blonde a wry smile, her earlier confidence waning a little as she used a hand towel to wipe the pooling sweat off her forehead and the back of her neck. She was really glad that her hair was up in a bun or this heat would be unbearable. “Let’s hope the judges think so too.”

“You’re gonna get the apron for sure,” Clarke insisted emphatically. The scent alone was driving her crazy and her mouth watered some more as the chef added the vegetables that she had obviously chopped earlier during her prep time.

The brunette smiled fully this time, grateful for the boost in morale. She really needed to remember that this was something that she was really good at doing and that she deserved to be here. “Thank you-”

Clarke went to gently shake the brunette’s outstretched left hand as her right was preoccupied with stirring the broth. The blonde  absently noticed the strength in her grip and the callouses on her long fingers as she met her stare. “Clarke.”

“Thank you Clarke. I’m Lexa.” 

Just as she finished saying her name, Lexa smiled once more before going back to preparing her food. Clarke watched on as Lexa mixed king prawns with the spice mix that she had seen her make earlier and suddenly realizing the many cameras that were focused on them from many angles, focused on  _ Lexa _ as she continued with her cook. She blushed deeply at the knowing smirk from the assistant producer standing beside one of the people holding the camera. “God, I’m  _ so _ sorry. I  _ totally _ just came here and was like ‘ _ what are you making? _ ’. Should I get out of your way?” she asked, preparing to take a step back to begin her retreat and go back to stand by her mother but stopped when Lexa shook her head.

“No no, it’s fine. You’re actually keeping me from feeling too nervous and messing it all up,” she quietly admitted to the blonde, the pink in her cheeks darkening further. She looked away abruptly, placing the king prawns on the grill pan. At the satisfyingly sizzling sound, Lexa briefly wondered where Aden was, only to find him standing not too far away from her station and talking to a tall brunette. 

Clarke herself blushed once more at the confession and smiled shyly. She silently observed Lexa turn the shellfish over, a fluttering swoop in her stomach at the pleased smile on the brunette’s face at the beautiful grill marks. She stood aside to allow the brunette to retrieve a plate and a bowl when one of the producers came to tell Lexa that she had five minutes to plate her food before she had to go meet the judges. She followed her new friend’s movements and watched in awe as Lexa prepared her plate, carefully pouring the hot liquid and then placing the king prawns half-dipped in the broth. Green eyes met hers and Clarke smiled encouragingly. “Good luck, Lexa. Though I’m already expecting to see you come out with that apron in your hands.” 

Lexa smiled nervously in return before taking a deep breath. She placed her broth-filled bowl on the cart, making sure that nothing was going to spill on the short walk to the judges and that everything looked presentable. Lexa then undid her bun, letting her thick curls fall down her back and over her shoulders. She didn’t want to look a mess in front of the judges. She took another deep, fortifying breath as she grabbed onto the cart handle. She turned to see Clarke standing beside her. “See you in a bit?”

The blonde slowly nodded, a little stupefied after Lexa had gracefully let down her hair. “I’ll be here,” she promised.

\---

Her daughter was still looking intently down the hallway, watching as the other chef -  _ Lexa _ , from what she heard - walked towards the judges. Abby rolled her eyes at Clarke’s pink cheeks, the glazed look in her blue eyes. It was the same look Jake had after they first met all those years ago. She really was so much like her father that it amazed Abby sometimes. When it seemed that Clarke wasn’t about to move anywhere, she rolled her eyes once again and shook her head as she walked over to her daughter. “Honey, are you supposed to be flirting with your potential competition?”

The fading blush on Clarke’s cheeks came back in full force at her mother’s teasing. “I wasn’t  _ flirting _ . Her food smelled really good.”

“Mmmm, I’m sure.”

“I was being friendly! I’m gonna spend weeks with some of these people. It’d be awkward if we didn’t get along.”

“Sure, honey.”

Clarke huffed and rolled her eyes. She knew there was no convincing her mother once she had an idea in her head. But she was saved from having to say anything more in her defense when one of the assistant producers came to tell her that her turn to cook was coming up. 

“Mom, you got all my stuff?” 

Abby nodded, holding up the blue recyclable bag in her hand before gesturing to the ice chest laying at her feet. “Everything that you packed is still where you packed them.”

The younger blonde picked up the ice chest and nodded towards the cooking station. “Will you help me bring them over there? You can go ahead though. I just have to wait a little bit for Lexa to come back out.”

“Of course, honey.”

“I can  _ feel _ you smirking, mom,” Clarke muttered loudly, turning to glare though her mother only shrugged and gave her an innocent smile as she started walking to the cooking station. Rolling her eyes once more, Clarke turned back around to look down the hallway, waiting for Lexa to return.

\---

“What have you got there?”

Clarke startled, smiling widely when she saw Lexa standing beside the counter. The blonde chef had been making sure that she had her tools ready and was in the middle of sharpening her knives. She hefted the dead fish up from the long chopping board, showing it off to the brunette. “This, Lexa, is a sea trout. Caught this handsome thing myself.” Her chest puffed with pride at the impressed twinkle in Lexa’s pretty green eyes. 

“Do you like to fish, Clarke?” she asked distractedly, her eyes subtly tracing the muscles over Clarke’s arms. The still fresh-looking trout did not look at all light but the blonde was holding it as if it weighed less than nothing. 

Clarke nodded, placing the trout back on the board. “Been fishing since I was old enough to hold a fishing pole.” The fish had been cleaned after she caught it three days ago. She was glad that she had thought to freeze it in case her time to cook wasn’t on the first day of auditions. She picked her knife back up and began slicing to make her crispy skin later. “Do you fish?” she asked, looking up to meet Lexa’s green eyes keenly observing her as her knife moved smoothly through. 

The brunette shook her head. “I’ve fished a couple of times but I’ve lived in the city nearly my whole life so I don’t really get much opportunity to do it.” She continued to watch in awe as Clarke sliced and chopped the trout with finesse and expertise before putting the pieces away into separate piles that she needed for her dish. “You’re really handling that fish like a true master.” 

“Don’t go falling in love with me now. I know my skills can be  _ very _ disarming,” the blonde chef teased, making sure their eyes met again as she finished with her trout.

“I’ll do my best to restrain myself.” Lexa giggled, hoping the heat in her cheeks wasn’t too visible. She was thankful that the blonde was far too engrossed with preparing her dish to notice anything as it was apparently really impossible to not be affected by her fellow chef’s winsome smile. She cleared her throat. “So who are you here with?”

Clarke tilted her head to her right where Abby was, sitting literally on the edge of her seat. Her mom was watching her like a hawk which she had expected and the very reason why she told her to not sit anywhere near her. Though she was grateful for her mom’s presence, Clarke also knew that Abby would just end up distracting her by hovering and making her second-guess herself. “My mom. She’s the one over there sitting nervously and trying her best to not to go all Soccer Mom on me. You?” The brunette pointed to the man that Clarke had seen standing with Lexa earlier, explaining that it was her brother, Aden, who from the looks of it, was flirting with one of the competing chef’s family member or friend. “Wasn’t he also just flirting with that girl earlier?”

Lexa chuckled in reply at first and started to nod when she saw the taller man enter what she assumed was his number into Aden’s phone. He could never resist a pretty face no matter where they went. But she knew that he was smart and knew how to keep himself safe and that was all that mattered to Lexa. She watched her brother give the man a charming smile and rolled her eyes when he saw her and gave her a triumphant finger-gun salute. “Do you have any siblings?”

The blonde shook her head. “Nah, I’m an only child.” Clarke picked up her smoking gun already filled with apple wood chips, sent up a quick prayer before she started the process of making her smoked bone mayonnaise and inserted the nozzle into the bowl. She double-checked to make sure that the nozzle was secure before she lit the gun and waited for the smoke to form. She gave it a couple more minutes before taking the nozzle out and pulling the cling film to completely cover the bowl. She had to give it a little while before adding the grapeseed oil so she decided to work on the dill crisps. She  _ really _ hoped this dish was going to turn out as well as they have other times before. Clarke looked up to see Lexa staring at the smoke curling around the bowl under the cling film with a watchful eye. “What are you doing here anyway? You already got your apron.” 

Her green eyes looked up to meet Clarke’s blue before the blonde had to look away to concentrate on her dish. Lexa carefully tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I know. But you were there for me earlier, so I thought that maybe- I could return the favor? Is that- okay?” she asked, timidly biting down on her lip as she shrugged. The adrenaline from winning an apron was beginning to leave her system and Lexa was becoming more aware of the cameras on the both of them. She wondered how Clarke somehow managed to make her forget that cameras had been on them this whole time, and even while she herself had been cooking earlier.

“It’s  _ more _ than okay.”

The magnetizing smile on Clarke’s face really should have told her all that she needed to know. 

\---

“I got it!” Clarke screamed, waving the white Masterchef apron and running straight into her mother’s arms. She and Abby were in tears, though she was pretty sure her mom was sobbing harder than Clarke herself was and rendering what she was trying to say to her, completely incoherent. She was breathless and dizzy with the high she felt from the judges’ praise for her dish and the feel of the apron strings hanging from her fingers. 

Lexa quietly made her way to the hugging mother and daughter, smiling at their happiness. She wasn’f surprised that Clarke won the apron as she had been there to see the blonde pouring everything she had into making her dish. “Congratulations, Clarke.”

The blonde pulled away from her mom, smiling at the hand cupped on her cheek. She swallowed thickly at the proud smile beaming back at her and she knew that they were both thinking the same thing, thinking of the same person and wishing that he was here to experience this moment with them. She took a deep breath before turning to meet Lexa’s forest eyes. In the corner of her eye, she could see her mom making a call, most likely to Wells to let him know of the news. “Looks like we’re gonna be housemates for the foreseeable future.”

“It sure does.”  Lexa smiled, hopeful and excited for the weeks to come. They all had a week to pack their things and get all their affairs in order before filming for the show started. The next two days were lined up for the other chefs that were getting a second chance to impress the judges and win an apron. She hadn’t been able to let go of hers since she got it. Lexa knew that she was going to be staring at it for most, if not all, of tomorrow. 

“You don’t snore, do you?”

She gave the blonde a bewildered grin at her left-field question. “Clarke, we don’t have our room assignments yet. We might not even be roommates at all.” Not too far away from them, Lexa heard the call of her name and they both turned to see Aden waiting for the brunette so they could make their way back home. Lexa felt the disappointment in her chest but there was the knowledge that there would be a familiar face when she arrived at the Masterchef House. It was comforting and exciting all at once. She smiled apologetically when she saw what she thought might have been disappointment mirrored in Clarke’s blue eyes. “We’ve got a really long drive ahead of us,” she tried to explain.

The blonde shook her head. “It’s okay. We’ll be seeing each other in a week anyway.” Clarke shrugged casually. She was also very pointedly avoiding her mother’s stare, knowing exactly the look that she was giving her at this moment. She was pretty sure she was going to get an interrogation on their own drive home. She had a cheeky grin on her own face as she stared into Lexa’s confused and questioning eyes. “I just have this feeling we’re going to spend a lot of time together. So I  _ still _ need to know if you snore.” 

“Isn’t all the fun in finding out for yourself?” 

Clarke found herself flustered by a pleasantly surprising smirk across the brunette’s lips and a beguiling glint in her green eyes as she turned to walk away. She watched Lexa waving goodbye to her as she went to her brother. “Oh I'm  _ really _ looking forward to that,” she muttered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on tumblr @maybewritingthings


End file.
